Cloned mint plants were produced asexually from one parent plant and grown for 21 days. The plants were kept under the same conditions except for the factor shown in the table.
The control plants received the usual nitrate concentration and daily light exposure. For each reduced condition, the named factor was 50% of the control value.
| Growing conditions | Mean increase in shoot height in mm | Range of increase in shoot height in mm |
|---|---|---|
| Control | 52 | 48–56 |
| 50% nitrate concentration | 27 | 23–31 |
| 50% daily light exposure | 40 | 36–44 |
A student concludes:
'Reducing the nitrate supply has a greater effect on shoot growth than reducing the light supply.'
Evaluate the student's conclusion. Use the data and information about the plants.
186 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Biology 5.1 Inheritance, covering 5.1.1 The genome, 5.1.2 Environment and phenotype, 5.1.3 Variants and mutations, 5.1.4 How genetic variants influence phenotype, 5.1.5 Asexual and sexual reproduction, 5.1.6 Haploid and diploid, 5.1.7 Meiotic cell division, 5.1.8 Single gene inheritance, 5.1.9 Predicting single gene crosses, 5.1.10 Sex determination, 5.1.11 Multiple gene inheritance, and 5.1.12 Development of our understanding of genetics. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.